Moises Caicedo watch: How the Arsenal and Chelsea transfer target performed at Crystal Palace

Moises Caicedo put in another subtle but dominant shift in the middle of the park for Albion against bitter rivals Crystal Palace this weekend – let's take a look at how the midfield maestro got on.

Brighton left Selhurst Park disappointed after a dominant display, which saw them have 75 per cent possession, was undone by a terrible Robert Sanchez error.

However, forget the error which led to Palace's only shot on target and subsequent goal, let's take a look at the performance and why Albion were able to dominate.

Analysis

The 21-year-old Ecuadorian was heavily linked with a move away from Albion in the January transfer window, with Arsenal submitting bid valued at £70m for the midfielder.

The midfielder, who has played a key role in the rise of Brighton under De Zerbi and has formed a formidable partnership with Alexis Mac Allister.

Following all the January speculation and unrest, how is the midfielder doing on the pitch?

Crystal Palace came into this game with a plan: cede possession and try to stop passes into Caicedo and Pascal Gross, with Jordan Ayew tightly marking the former throughout.

This was a similar plan to how Leicester approached their game against Albion, with Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall trying to stop the supply into Brighton's double pivot.

Being man marked in multiple Premier League games is testament to Caicedo's, and Mac Allister's, ability and importance in this impressive De Zerbi side.

Caicedo's role is one that is often overlooked in football because it is not glamorous, but it is vital.

In the top five leagues in Europe in his position (CDM), the midfielder is ranked in the top 20 per cent for pass completion, short passes completed, long passes completed, tackles, tackles in the attacking third, tackles and interceptions and aerial duels won, according to fbref.com

In short, the lad is a destroyer and first phase playmaker. Caicedo was constantly trying to shake off Ayew, get on the ball and link up the play, which he struggled to do in the first 45 minutes.

A brilliant tackle to stop a marauding run from a tricky Palace player was vital early on to keep the game at 0-0 and was a reminder of the midfielder's quality at reading the game and being in the right place at the right time.

However, a drop in concentration, and the pressure from Ayew, forced Caicedo into a couple of errors, one of which nearly gifted Palace a goal if it were not for a brilliant sliding block from Adam Webster.

The midfielder came out in the second half and stepped it up. His reading of the game and ability to be in the right place to pick up second balls and then get Albion on the attack was vintage Caicedo.

Some superb sweeping diagonal passes out to his wingers and full backs were vital in the way Albion attacked the game.

Unfortunately for him, and the rest of the team, a dominant performance and a clean sweep of 7/10 performances throughout the Albion side was undone following a terrible error from Robert Sanchez in goal.

But the question now is, what will it take to keep Caicedo?

The lad has effortlessly replaced Brighton's former midfield general, Yves Bissouma. Brighton, possibly one of the best run clubs in the world, will surely be looking at nailing Caicedo down on a long term contract on wages which match his importance to the side.

But will he take it? We'll have to wait and see. If they do keep him, how far can Brighton go?